3 Signs It’s Time to Switch Your Anti-Virus Solution

3 Signs It’s Time to Switch Your Anti-Virus Solution

A data security strategy must have several layers in order to safeguard the information it is designed to protect. Anti-virus software is a basic, yet important cog in that strategy. Ideally, this type of application not only combats the classic virus but also worms, Trojan horses, spyware, and other forms of malicious software. Interestingly enough, the fact that anti-virus software is such a basic necessity is exactly what tends to lure us into a false sense of security.

Set It, Forget It… You Might Regret It!

As a computer user yourself, you’re probably familiar with this scenario. You scour the marketplace for some decent anti-virus software, find something that offers good to great protection, install it on your system(s), and hope you never have to actually put it to use. You configure the program for automatic updates, run a scan every now and then to make sure nothing nasty slipped through the cracks, and when the time comes to upgrade within a year or so, you renew your license for that peace of mind.

After a while your anti-virus software subscription can become as routine as your web hosting plan. You renew out of convenience as much as you do out of need whether you’re completely happy with the product or not. The everyday computer user can usually get away with this, but such a blasé approach to data security in an enterprise IT environment can be costly.

As a managed service provider, the following scenarios could be signs that it’s time to switch your anti-virus solution.

1. Existing Protection is Lacking

There may come a time when you realize that the software you trusted for years just isn’t cutting it any more. Maybe you’ve recently been exposed to phishing and the dangers it poses to your corporate identity. If your current solution is a few years behind, it may be time to upgrade to anti-virus software that offers better phishing protection. In this instance you’d want to set your sights on something that scores high marks in neutralizing phishing from the inbox to the web.

2. Licenses are Too Expensive

MarketsandMarkets predicts that global IT security market will leap $106 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2022 with U.S. companies dropping the biggest bucks. Protecting all three computers on the home network could cost you twenty or thirty more dollars. Extending protection to all 15 servers across the corporate network could tax the budget several thousands of dollars. Whether it’s finding something cheaper per server or taking your data security strategy to the cloud, expensive licensing costs is just cause to switch your anti-virus solution.

3. Current Solution is Too Hectic to Manage

Though anti-virus technology has come a long way, there is still quite a bit of human intervention required. Someone has to install the software on all designated systems, activate select features, and configure the program to deliver automatic updates. This can get costly when factoring in what you might have to pay to train employees how to properly use the software. Switching to a new solution may give you an opportunity to improve your IT security strategy by centralizing the software, removing the burden from the end-user, and simplifying administration.

If your anti-virus software is providing adequate protection at the right price without being too much of a hassle, then stick with it until it lets you down. But if you even suspect that the wheels are coming off or those wheels are too expensive to maintain, it may be time to seek out something better.

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